The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1887-08-24


charge that the farmers arc swindlod, it
should not be made unless known to be
truc
The report Of the comptroller general
for last year (pago lO0) gives n statement
OF tho State taxes, the only source from
which comes tho appropriations for the
College and the Citadel From this re-
port is taken the following summary:
Total State funds from
taxation, royalty, Ii
ccnscs, NC ...... $7GG, 1912
Taxes paid by railroads,
real estate i'll cities
and towns, personally
in Charleston and Co
lumbia. .............. sos, 90S
Phosphate royalties 1885,
License fees . 1895
Bal. from other sources $iO9, 90i
This balance, about IG per cent. of the
total revenue, includes not only taxes
paid by farmers, but all country prop.
crty, and all personally in towns and
citles outside OF Columbin, owned by
Others than farmers. These would Offset
the taxes paid by farmers under other
heads. Scarcely pound of river rock
is used in South Carolina and the royal
ty is, therefore, paid by the mining
companies or by foreign consumers.
This statement is sufficiently accurate to
show that the farmers do not pay three
fourths of the taxes.
There ere SO many better reasons than
this Why farpcrs should have full con
sldcrahon that they can well afford to
dispense with it.
In the second part Of the sentence
quoted the writer is again in error; for
rs neither the College nor the Citadel
contalnsa special department in theology
or IN medicine, 1t cannot be said that
the state "cducates preachers and doc
tors, unless the writcr means that II
general literary, scientific and polite
culture is intended for preachers, doc
tors and lawyers alone, and that farmers
sons cannot or ought not derive any ad
yantagcs thcrcfrom. He could not con
sciou ly take any such position so un-
just to tho farmer and his son. Even
wore there no technical agricultural in
struction il the College, the sons Of
farmers would still enjoy in common
with all others that general training
which is of the utmost importance in
enabling its pOSscssor to cntor into this
fierce intellectual competition now raging
throughout the civilized world, the want
Of which training compcls the farmers
son or anybody clso's son to take a back
seat or be run over.
But the State does much more. Not
only giving the farmers son that broad
culture he cannot secure III low grade
specialized school, she provides for him
q separate department, i'll which he can
also obtain special technical, practical
training. Students who desire to be-
come lawyers are shrewd enough gen
eraliy to take thorough academic
course and finish off in the law depart.
ment, and farmers sons should at least
receive the same kind of preparatory
training III order to fit them to cope with
these alleged "enemies of their race
Again, az military training is one Of
the features in all separate agricultural
colleges, the Citadel should not be re-
viled for training "soldicrs."
AS it * still q mOotcd question what
constitutes practical agricultural cdu-
cation, it can only be argued, not
proven, whether this State gives such or
not. But the fact is that the plan OF
education provided by South Carolina is
in the same line rs that given by twenty
four States in the Union, and its legality
is recognized by Congress, by Lcgsla
lures OF States, and by large majority
OF the people of the Union.
The charge that the farmers son can
not obtain practical mechanical educa-
ton can be directly disprov".i. Thirty
or forty students during the past year
have been engaged in the workshops of
the South Carolina College, and when
tLey shall have completed their course
they will know more about ordinary
wood and iron work than many of the
carpenters and blacksmiths in the State,
besides being thoroughly trained in me-
chanlcal drawing and in the theory OF
machinery, kinematics, mechanical
technology, &c. 1t is a question of taste
whether it is better for the farmers son,
or lawyers, or Doctors, or preacher 4
son to pay money III college to learn
how to fork manure, cut wood and chop
cotton, without knowing how to handle
tools, or to permit him to acquire the
details or unskilled labor at home, and
learn at college how TO frame buildings,
weld tires, sharpen ploughs, rig up ma
chincry and do other skilled operations
which wouId otherwise entail q loss OF
time and money
The Mississippi College pursues the
former course; tho South Carolina the
latter. Manual labor is required in both
places, the only difference being that the
South Carolina College gives that train.
ing which cannot be given at home,
while the Mississippi College, during it.
seven years of existence, has taken nc
steps to give instruction in the use o
tools, or other skilled mechanical labor
AS already said there are between thirt,
and forty students in the South CaroliuG
ical training. The charge, then, that
the farmers son cannot secure this train
ing must be charitabiy ascribed to sheti
ignorance, but to ignorance hardly OK
cusable, since half hours visit 70 tn,
College or five minutes perusal of it.
catalogue would have dispelled it. d.
Columbia, s.. q.
1 - -srzs--------e---
Grass widow" Is q misleading term